Is it too late to call her back?
by Zoe tabbycat
Summary: When two unidentified people gravely injured Stella, Mac finally figured that time was too short, and a person should treasure every minute they had with someone they love. He finally confessed his love for Stella, but was it too late? SMACKED
1. Chapter 1

Is it too late to call her back?

_Summary: When two unidentified people gravely injured Stella, Mac finally figured that time was too short, and a person should treasure every minute they had with someone they love. He finally confessed his love for Stella, but was it too late?_

'Stella. You'll be alright. You hear me Stella? You'll be alright. Just hang on for me.' Mac told Stella urgently, as she seemed to be on the edge of being unconscious. Stella did all she could to keep her eyes open, but her attempts were futile, her eyes closed as the EMT put her on the bus and raced her to Trinity General.

Mac buried his head in his hands. It was just like before, when Claire had died, only this time, he knew that Stella still had a chance of living. He clung onto this thought like his lifeline. Don saw his anguished expression and came over him.

'Mac…' Don started but was cut off by Mac.

'I'm going to the hospital,' mumbled Mac, pushing Don away and headed towards the car.

'Mac, listen to me. You are in no state to drive at all. Be a good boy and sit in my car, I'll take you there.' Don insisted.

Mac gave in a withering glare at the term "good boy", but he was too tired to argue. He went to Don's car and sat down inside.

This worried Don more than anything. He knew that Mac would never normally agree to these ideas of his willingly. His lack of argument made Don positive that there was something between his good friend Mac and the woman who was like his sister, Stella Bonasera.

Thinking of Stella, Don sighed. She was just like the older sister that he never had, someone whom he needed to protect, but also someone that he could turn to when he needed her. What wouldn't he give to be able break down now, and have someone to comfort him. But when he saw Mac's face, he knew that Mac must have been even more affected than him. That's why he had to put on a strong face, to sound like the reasonable guy.

Putting on the siren, Mac and Don rushed to the hospital. When they got there, a nurse coolly told them that Stella was still in surgery, and they are definitely not allowed in, even when they flashed their NYPD badges at her.

Don sank into a seat, defeated. Mac continued to pace around, his expression murderous. Don knew that Mac was tempted to slam his gun onto the table in the reception and demand to see Stella. He got up and gently led him over to the hard, plastic chairs in the waiting area.

'Mac, losing your temper in here is not gonna help at all. You have to calm down, Stella will be alright. She's strong, she'll pull through.' Don told Mac, trying to reassure Mac and doing it for himself at the same time.

'What if she doesn't?' Mac whispered. 'What if she doesn't?'

'Mac, listen to me. Stella will be fine. She is strong and she is a fighter. She will not just leave you like this. You hear me? She won't go.' Don stood up and told Mac, his voice ringing out strongly, but Mac's expression remained just as broken.

Suddenly, the door leading to the emergency room was flung open, and a eighteen year old girl was pushed into a surgery room, with a nineteen year old boy rushing after her.

Seeing the cops in the room, the boy turned to them, his eyes pleading them to help.

'Sir! My sister was shot, you have to help me!' The boy pleaded them.

Mac was still depressed, and looked as if he did not even hear her, but Don stood up immediately.

'Sure thing. Just give me a sec.' Don answered, picking up his phone and calling for Lindsay and Danny to come down, one to wait with Mac and the other one to solve the crime.

'Alright, first, tell me your name.' Don asked, getting ready to write everything in his black notebook.

'My name is Benjamin Knight. That is my sister Kaityln Knight. She's just eighteen, sir. You have to save her.' Benjamin answered, tears swimming in his eyes.

'Don't worry, Ben, I'm sure she will be fine. Now can you tell me what happened?' Don asked.

'We were coming out of an alley, and there was this guy that started coming after us. We were scared, so we hurried up. I didn't see it, but he must have had pulled out his gun, because the next thing I know, my sister was on the ground with blood coming out of her chest.' Ben answered, his voice still shaky.

'Alright Ben. Where and where was your sister shot?' Don asked, just as Danny and Lindsay arrived Lindsay immediately went to Mac and did all she could to cheer him up slightly as Danny carried over his silver briefcase.

'It was in an alley behind a club called, um, 'Punk's Bar', on Broadway. There is always a couple of dustbins in there and a back door from Riverdale building leads there.' Ben answered, and Danny took off for the crime scene immediately.

Don suddenly realized that the crime scene was only a couple blocks away from where Stella was shot. According to the time that Kaitlyn Knight was brought in, their shooter may have been the same person.

'Ben, this is very important. Did you see the man that did this to your sister?' Don asked urgently.

'uhh… yeah. He was about 5 foot 4, um… blondish brown hair, tanned skin, and there was a small tattoo on his neck. It looked kind of like a small dragon.' Ben answered, just as the doctors who were working on Kaitlyn came out.

Ben rushed over to them immediately, demanding to know where was his sister. The doctor assured him that his sister was going to be fine, and took him to see his sister. After another hour, the doctors working on Stella had finally came out.

Mac literally raced over to the doctor and asked, wait no, _demanded _to know what was Stella's condition, with Don and Lindsay hot on his heels. The doctor told them that Stella's condition was stable, but she had a long road of recovery ahead of her.

The doctor took them to the front of Stella's room and left. Mac was about to barge through the door when Don held him back. Telling him that Stella would still need her rest, that he would have to be quiet, and they would let him be alone with her first.

Mac went into the room, hearing the steady beep of the monitors in the room gave him chills, but it reassured him slightly that Stella was still alright. He sat down next to her and held on her hands tightly. Tears started leaking out of his eyes when the thought of losing her was still possible.

'Stella, you can't leave me. I need you, Stella. Come back to me.' Mac whispered, squeezing her hands tightly, looking for the slightest flicker in her face, but there was none, she just remained as still as ever, without the slightest trace of movement.

_A/N: Uh oh, what will happen to Stella? And are the two crimes related? Please review and tell me what you think._

_Criticisms are much appreciated, but no flamers please. If you have any ideas you want me to add in, you can put it in your reviews or PM me. I'll try my best to put them in._

_All mistakes are mine, since my beta is still having her exams and can't beta for me. So if you spot any mistakes, just PM me or bear with it._

_Zoe tabbycat_


	2. Chapter 2

Is it too late to call her back? Ch.2

Groaning in frustration, Lindsay threw the case file on her desk. It had been a week, and they had absolutely no break on the case. Not to mention that Stella still had not woken up, she sank down in her chair, and buried her head in her hands.

'Mama?' 4 year old Lucy Messer toddled into her room, her hands holding a drawing of her family, her parents, her uncle and aunties. Lindsay gave a small smile. Somehow, her daughter could always brighten up a room.

'That's really beautiful, Lucy.' Lindsay praised. Lucy gave her a toothy grin and toddled down the hallway, all the way to Mac's office.

Ever since the shooting, finding Mac was never a problem. If he was not in his office, he was in the hospital, right beside Stella. Right now, he was scribbling all over his glass wall, trying to find more clues of the whereabouts of the people who had attempted to kill Stella.

Oblivious to the annoyance of Mac, Lucy toddled inside, smiling happily. At the sight of his only goddaughter, even Mac seemed to brighten up slightly.

'What's that you've got in your hands, little Luce?' Mac asked, setting down his pen for a moment and turning his full attention to the little girl that was standing right in front of him.

'My family.' Lucy answered, showing him the drawing that she had done.

Mac's gaze immediately fell onto the person with curly brown hair in the picture. Even though the picture was done in crayon, he still felt she was easily the most beautiful person in the whole picture.

'It's very good, little Luce.' Mac told her, causing Lucy to smile happily.

'Where is θεία Stella?' Lucy asked, her innocent question prompting tears from Mac's eyes. His mind slipped away from the present, and went back to the moment when Stella was shot

_*Is it too late to call her back?*_

'_Alright, we got an anonymous tip-off from the hotline and told us that the suspect could be hiding here. Suspect is considered armed and dangerous. Therefore, I want everyone alert in there. So far, there are no sign of any hostages, but there is still a chance of that. Alright, move in.' Mac commanded the team. Mac had been paired with Stella, and the two of them began to descend into the basement of the abandoned warehouse._

_With her hair tied back and her face frowning in concentration, Mac simply could not believe that anyone could be this beautiful. He had to force himself to concentrate on the mission on hand._

_All of a sudden, they both froze. Footsteps were heard racing ahead of them as day. Stella went off chasing them at top speed, with Mac hot on her heels. As Stella turned a corner, a gunshot was heard. As Mac turned, he saw Stella lying on the floor, her limbs twitching uncontrollably, with blood gushing out of her wound. _

'Uncle Mac? Can I show this to θεία Stella?' Lucy asked again, seeing her uncle had drifted off to somewhere.

'Little Luce, θεία Stella is hurt. She can't see it now.' Mac told her, his voice wobbling ever so slightly.

'But… but…' Lucy's chin began to quiver. Her θεία Stella was her favorite aunt. To Lucy, Stella was like superwoman, someone who would never be hurt, but will always help anyone around her. Mac could never bear to see his goddaughter unhappy, and he crouched down beside her.

'Little Luce, why don't you give me your picture, and I will give it to θεία Stella when she is feeling better?' Mac asked.

Lucy face lit up like a Christmas tree. Plastering his face with kisses and thanks, she handed him the picture and skipped out to Lindsay, who was beckoning her to go home. Holding onto her mother's hands, she turned around and gave him a little wave before heading into the elevator.

Mac smiled wistfully. How he wished he could have a small family like that with Stella. But now she was still in the hospital, unconscious. Who knows if that wish would ever come true?

_*Is it too late to call her back?*_

'Stella, how are you today? ' Mac asked, his eyes searching for the smallest response from her body, but there was none. Mac did not let that get to him, and continued to chat with Stella.

'Lucy drew a picture for you, and said that you simply must see it as soon as you are awake. You've had a nice, long nap now. Don't you think that it is time to wake up now?' Mac continued, holding Stella's hands in his.

_Stella could only see darkness around her. Someone was calling her, talking to her. She was sure of it. It seemed so far away. If only she could get out of this darkness. Following the voice, she struggled to get to the voice, the voice that made her feel that everything was going to be alright. However, the path was too long, and she collapsed midway through._

_*Is it too late to call her back?*_

'How could there be not a single clue there?' Lindsay exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. They had nothing conclusive, except for the fact that the shooting of Stella and the Kaitlyn Knight were related. 'It is just like as if the robber just vanished into thin air.'

'We know they are related, since bullets are both the same, and some evidences are the same in both crime scenes, but we've exhausted every single piece of evidence there.' Danny continued. He looked at Mac, but his mind seemed to have gone off somewhere.

'Mac? What are you thinking about?' Danny asked. Mac seemed to be jolted back into reality, and went over to the large screen.

'Maybe we have been looking at this in the wrong way.' Mac told them, bringing up the photos of the Knight siblings. 'What if they are not the victims?'

_A/N: Ha! I am going to be so mean, and leave you hanging there. Can anyone guess who are the murderers yet? Though I bet most of you can guess it already, but the motive? Reply in your reviews. If any of you manage to guess that motive, I will reward the first person with a story dedicated specially to you. So REVIEW, people._

_Criticisms are much appreciated but no flamers please._

_This story is dedicated to Bianca tabbycat to (hopefully) cheer her up from her bad news. Cheer up, girl._

_Zoe tabbycat._

_P.S.: θεία means Aunt. I thought since Lucy love Stella so much, she probably knows a little Greek._


	3. Chapter 3

Is it too late to call her back Ch.3

'Every single piece of evidence came from the Knight's. For all we know, they could be the person who did this.' Mac explained.

They were all sitting in the meeting room, trying to combine every single piece of evidence they had, which was not much, only the description of the perps that Ben had described and the bullets they had retrieved from Stella and Kaitlyn.

'Alright, let's assume they did it, but we are missing something major here.' Lindsay stated. Every turned to look at her, question evident on their faces. 'Motive.' Lindsay answered they unasked question simply.

'Yeah, I mean, you don't go killing random people on the street, you know?' Danny asked.

'We need to find out everything we can on them.' Mac stated.

'I'm on it.' Lindsay answered, scribbling something down on her notes.

'Danny? Anything on ballistics?' Mac asked.

'Nothing, there is nothing. Ran the bullets through IBIS, but got no hits. I also found a partial on the trigger, but no hits in AFIS either.' Danny stated, leaning back in his chair, defeated by his lack of evidence.

The glass door was flung open by an excited looking Sheldon Hawkes, with an evidence bag in his hand.

'We've got something.' Hawkes stated, and the whole room seemed to perk up immediately. Tossing the evidence bag down onto the table, Hawkes beamed around.

'This hair was found on Stella, and I ran it through CODIS, there was no match in it. However, there is a familial match in it.' Hawkes explained. 'To a young girl called Avery Knight.'

'Alright, but how does this explain motive?' Danny asked.

'I know the answer to this. I read over all of Stella's arrest and she arrested Avery Knight. I didn't make the connection until now. Avery Knight, Ben Knight, Kaitlyn Knight. These names sound familiar?' Lindsay questioned.

'So, the attempted murder was all for revenge for putting a relative of theirs in prison?' Danny asked.

'Where is Avery now?' Mac asked, tossing his jacket on, ready to go and persuade Avery to help them nail Ben and Kaitlyn down for this attempted murder of a police officer.

'Unfortunately, Avery died a couple months ago in a prison riot.' Hawkes answered, showing them a death certificate of Avery Knight.

'So, it was not a revenge just for putting their sister in jail, it was a revenge for letting their sister get killed.' Lindsay stated softly.

'Boom.' Danny stated.

_*Is it too late to call her back?*_

'It's almost done, sis, you can rest in peace soon.' Ben murmured as he stroked the small gravestone. Kaitlyn kneeled next to him, tears running down her cheeks as she placed a bunch of flowers on it. Neither of them noticed the police creeping behind them.

'NYPD! Kaitlyn Knight and Benjamin Knight, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of an NYPD officer.' Mac barked.

Neither of them made any attempts to run, they just lowered their head and allowed the officer to snap handcuffs on their hands and led them away to the precinct.

_*Is it too late to call her back?*_

Keeping one hand firmly on Ben's shoulder and one hand on his handcuffs, Mac half marched him to the interrogation room and plopped him down on the hard, metal chair as he handcuffed him to the chair.

'Why did you do it?' Mac snarled. Don literally had to restrain him from physically attacking Ben. 'And don't think you can deny it. Kaitlyn had confessed but she refused to tell us the motive. Also, the fingerprints on the trigger came back to you, Ben. Why?'

'I know.' Ben answered simply.

'What do you know?' Mac asked, calming down slightly.

'I know she won't tell you.' Ben answered monotonously.

'Then you tell us.' Don demanded. One hardly ever saw Don Flack as angry as he was at that point, but if anyone in his 'family' was hurt, the 'angry' Don Flack would surface and one would know to run for their lives.

'The death of my sister was all her fault.' Ben said softly, as if he was afraid to wake someone up.

'Why did you say so? Stella was not the one who started the riot.' Mac told him, as if he was explaining a simple sum to a five-year-old.

'But she was the one who put by sister there. Avery wasn't suppose to be in there.' Ben shouted, slamming his fist on the table, his calm exterior all gone.

'I've read the police report. Avery Knight was convicted of smuggling drugs, and that is a criminal offence. She is over the legal age, she is responsible for all her own actions.' Mac answered.

'But did you ever ask yourself why would a model student from a good school go smuggling drugs when she never did it? You couldn't find a trace of drug in her system, right?' Ben shouted, his eyes violent.

'Still, no one should ever smuggle drugs.' Mac defended. Ben let out a harsh laugh.

'And let herself and her young siblings starve to death? Our parents were killed when she was only eighteen, I was thirteen and Kaitlyn was twelve. Avery only did it so Kaitlyn and I can have food every other day. She tried to get a legal job, but she was too young, no one would hire her. At that time, Kaitlyn was already delirious with a fever. She had no choice, but to do it.' Ben shouted. 'When Avery was taken away, I was sixteen, and Kaitlyn was fifteen. We were just shoved into foster care. Beaten and molested every day. What kind of life was that for a fifteen year old girl? And don't give me the crap on how a lot of kids were like that. Avery gave up her life for us, and there was nothing we could do about it.' Ben said coldly.

Mac and Don sat back, their mouths agape. They had their confession, but neither of them were as inclined to kill them as they were when they first figured out the perps.

_*Is it too late to call her back?*_

'We've got them, Stella.' Mac whispered as he stroke her hands tenderly. 'Now you gotta wake up. You have to Stella, for me. You can't just leave me, I love you.' Mac said, saying the three words that he had always dreamed of telling her.

His head was down, and it shot up as the small hand in hands moved gently. Slowly, Stella opened her eyes, and her eyes locked into Mac's intense blue eyes.

'Mac?' Stella said weakly.

_A/N: Does anyone feel sorry for the Knight siblings? Please go to my profile page and vote whether they should be sentenced to prison. Many thanks._

_PLEASE REVIEW! Criticisms are very much welcomed, but no flamers please._

_This chapter is dedicated to lily moonlight for guessing the motive correctly. GREAT JOB! Also dedicated to Bianca tabbycat for her awesomeness in the competition on Sunday. YOU ROCK, GIRL._

_Zoe tabbycat_


	4. Chapter 4

Is it too late to call her back? Ch.4

Stella started to struggle. She had no idea where she was, and nothing scared her more than that. Mac immediately went over and took hold of her hands, holding them close together, hoping to keep her from struggling.

'Stella, it's okay. You are in the hospital. You got shot, but the culprits are caught. Everything is fine, Stella.' Mac soothed her, as she finally began to calm down. She snuggled into Mac's embrace, and he kept his arm around her protectively. It felt so right for them, that neither of the questioned about it. They knew that no matter what happened in the future, they would face it together.

But for now, lying in each other's arm, all the worries seemed worlds away.

_*Is it too late to call her back?*_

'What? I told you to keep an eye on him at all time!' Flack roared into his phone, annoyance and anger radiating off his face. Anyone who knew him would not go near him. Well, apart from one person, his girlfriend, Jessica Angell. She heard him yelling in the squad room, and ventured out to find out what was wrong as the other scurried away as far as possible from a very mad Don Flack.

'Don?' Jess called, placing her hand on his forearm, trying to pacify her boyfriend. 'What's wrong?'

Slapping his phone shut, he dragged Jess with him to the door of the precinct. 'We have to place a protection detail on Stella, now.' Don told her urgently.

'What?' Jess exclaimed, unable to understand why Stella would need a protection detail shadowing her every move.

'They have escaped custody an hour ago.' Don told her, flashing the sirens of the squad car as they headed for the possible as fast as it was possible.

'The Knight siblings?' Jess asked. As Don nodded.

'The guards told us that before they escaped, that they were going to get revenge.' Don told her gravely.

'Did they say with who?' Jess asked.

'No, all we know, is that it is related to the death of Avery Knight.' Don told her, as they arrived at the hospital.

_*Is it too late to call her back?*_

'How are we going to do this?' Kaitlyn asked, as Ben started cleaning out his gun.

'We need them to pay for this. We spared the detective who helped cause Avery's death. Now, we need those who directly caused her death.' Ben said.

'Are you going to shoot me again? Cause it really hurts.' Kaitlyn asked warily.

'You know why I did it last time.' Ben told her.

Kaitlyn nodded. 'Yeah, we hope that it could get that man back into the prison. With your description to the cops and the gun that belonged to him, it did seem possible.'

'Yes, but it didn't work. I will not risk you again. No more shooting you. You are all I have left after Avery left. I am not going to risk you leaving me.' Ben told her, as he continued cleaning the gun.

_*Is it too late to call her back?*_

Waking up from her nap, Stella grasped around for Mac's hand. Very soon, she managed to catch him, and a smiled curled up upon her lips. Opening her green eyes, the first thing that she saw was the brilliant blue eyes of Mac Taylor. His eyes, which were soft and gentle when it came to her, were looking at her intently.

'Feeling better?' Mac asked, but Stella could tell something was wrong. She did not know how. Maybe it was the way he was sitting, maybe it was his eyes, but one way or another, she was positive that there was something wrong.

'What's wrong?' Stella asked, sitting up carefully.

'They got out. Kaitlyn and Ben escaped.' Mac told her. 'The last thing that the prison guard heard them saying was that they will get revenge.'

'On who?' Stella asked, biting her lip.

'We don't know.' Came Mac's answer, sending shivers through her body. Mac saw that and pulled her back into his arms, hoping to alleviate her fears. 'You will be placed under protective detail.'

'Oh no, Mac. Not that.' Stella groaned, protesting violently. Of all things she hate, being placed in protective detail probably ranked in the top 10 of her list. 'Mac, protective detail is really unnecessary.'

'Stella,' Mac said, running his hands through his hair. 'These people are professional in protecting people. I would not risk you running around alone without some kind of protection.'

'Mac, I really don't need someone tailing me.' Stella protest, her voice getting louder.

'Damn it, Stella. If that happens to you again, I don't know what I would do. I can't lose you.' Mac told her, and Stella could see tears forming in his eyes. 'Please Stella, if you won't do it for yourself, do it for me.'

Finally, Stella agreed to be placed in protective detail, although somewhat reluctantly. Mac heaved a sigh of relief. He was so glad that she was finally agreeing to that idea, otherwise, if she had gotten hurt, he would have no idea on what to do. He knew he could not lose her, because the wound from Claire would reopen, and with another layer of salt, he stopped thinking about it.

'Mac?' Stella's voice jolted him out of his reverie. 'Just exactly when can I get out of this place?'

'You really have a grudge against hospitals, don't you?' Mac smiled.

'Yes.' Came the simple answer from Stella. Match it with the annoyed gleam in Stella's voice, and the pout on her lips, Mac thought that she was just perfect.

'You will be out soon, Stella, if you promise to behave yourself and listen to the doctor's orders and obey them.' Mac told her sternly, knowing how hard it was for Stella to obey any doctor's orders.

Grumbling to herself at the thought of having to obey the doctor's order, Stella's head fell back into the bed, finally agreeing to it, but her face looked like the agreement to follow the doctor's order was causing her great pain. Smiling, Mac called for Stella's doctor to get Stella her discharge papers.

_A/N: I'm aware of the fact that it had been ages since I update, and I am so sorry for that. I had a huge writer's block for this story, and I only came up with an idea for it last week. I was planning to update at the weekend, but my computer crashed, and it took a whole weekend to repair it, so I finished this chapter as soon as I could, and here it is._

_PLEASE REVIEW! Criticisms are much appreciated, but no flamers please._

_Zoe tabbycat_


	5. Chapter 5

Is it too late to call her back Ch.5

_A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Lily Moonlight for pointing out a mistake in the plot of my story. Thank you so much._

'I'm sorry, but we cannot allow Detective Bonasera to leave the hospital yet.' The doctor told Mac.

'Why? You all said she has improved quite a bit. And she can be in danger here. The people who did this to her has escaped custody.' Mac told him, struggling to keep his voice under control.

'This can cause the patient's condition to drop drastically, detective. Although she is recovering at a very quick rate, letting her leave the hospital will be improbable.' The doctor told him firmly.

Finally relenting, Mac went back to Stella's room, who looked at him eagerly, hoping that he would tell her that she would be allowed to go soon. However, the look on his face told her that she would have to wait for a bit before she would even have a chance to go.

'Bad news?' Stella asked, slumping down slightly on her bed.

'Sorry, Stell.' The doctor want to keep you here for observation.' Mac apologized.

'Then can you bring me some paperwork? I'm really bored.' Stella whined, and Mac had to laugh. One of the things all CSI hated more than anything was paperwork. To them, paperwork is just a brand of torture for them, and now Stella was requesting for paperwork voluntarily? She must be really bored.

'No, Stell. You know perfectly well that you should be resting. Which part of the phrase 'you should be resting' do you not understand?' Mac asked.

'Resting.' Stella replied impishly, sniggering as she answered.

'You are going to be the death of me.' Mac groaned.

_*Is it too late to call her back*_

'Are you sure about this, Ben?' Kaitlyn asked. Ben had a gun with him, and they were on their way to 'teach him a lesson' as Ben said.

'I can't just let Avery die like that. You understand, do you?' Ben asked, and Kaitlyn nodded.

'But do we have to go this far?' Kaitlyn asked timidly. When she slept last night, she had a dream about her sister, and in it, her sister had told her to convince Ben to stop trying to get revenge, and try to move on from her. She told Kaitlyn nothing good would come out of getting revenge, and they should just let the matter rest.

Ben glanced briefly at her, wondering why would she ask such a question. 'It's just that, I saw Avery last night, and she told me to convince you not to get revenge. She said nothing good would come out of it.' Kaitlyn told her brother.

Ben's face softened. He knew that no matter how strong Kaitlyn is, she is still a girl, and had never liked the idea of violence before.

'Kaitlyn.' Ben said, taking her hand. 'Why don't you go home and wait for me? I'll take care of it. I know this isn't your thing at all, so why don't you leave this to me?' Ben asked.

Kaitlyn nodded. She could not bear to be here for another moment. Telling her brother that she would wait for me, she turned on her heels and headed home. However when she was about two block away from home, she finally made up her mind, and made a sharp right turn, heading straight to the police precinct.

_*Is it too late to call her back?*_

'May I speak to Detective Don Flack?' Kaitlyn asked politely as she arrived at the precinct.

'Don. There's a kid here who wants to speak to you.' The cop yelled before turning away. After a second, the tall detective came into sight. As soon as he caught sight of her, his face immediately blackened.

'You.' Don said, furiously.

'Detective, you've got to help me.' Kaitlyn murmured. 'My brother is going to go kill someone.'

'And why aren't you with him? You have shown that you are perfectly capable to murder.' Don said furiously, the image of Stella lying on the ground, bleeding, floating in his mind.

'I saw my sister yesterday. She told him that it has to stop, and nothing good would come out of getting revenge.' Kaitlyn told him honestly. 'I tried to convince my brother, but he is blinded by hatred now. I can't do it. He thinks I am at home now, but please, help me stop him.'

Looking into the girl's eyes, Don could see the child that was still in there, frightened and confused. Nodding, he immediately called Jess over to help him. Quickly telling Jess everything, he turned to Kaitlyn again.

'Can you tell me who your brother is after?' Don asked the girl.

'Lenny Simons.' Kaitlyn answered, and Don immediately went to a group of officers, working to find him before Ben Knight did.

_*Is it too late to call her back?*_

Creeping along silently, Don kept his hands wrapped around the gun tightly, with a finger on the trigger, ready to fire whenever it was necessary. Behind him, a group of SWAT members were following him, making no noise as they proceeded to guard the perimeter of Lenny Simons's residence.

'Snipers, do you have a clear view into the house?' Don asked softly into his radio.

'Not completely. There are a few places where my men cannot keep an eye on, over.' The radio cackled softly, alerting Don.

'Can anyone spot Ben Knight?' Don asked.

'Negative,' came the answer, and Don swore slightly.

Signaling to the SWAT members behind him, they began to move up to Lenny's apartment silently, and just as they were getting ready to enter the building, the sounds of gunshots can be heard.

'Shots fired. I repeat, shots fired at 237 Lexington Avenue.' Don yelled into his radio as he headed upstairs to Lenny's apartment, with the SWAT team hot on his tail.

'1…2…3…Go.' Don commanded, as the SWAT team knocked the door down. There in the house, stood right in the middle, was Ben Knight, with a gun in his hands, and the figure of Lenny Simon's at his feet.

_A/N: So here you go, chapter 5 of this story. I'm so sorry for not updating, but due to exams and writer's block, it makes it very hard for me to update. I had just been talking to a friend, well more like venting my frustration, but anyway, my writer's block had miraculously gone away, so updates will probably be more frequent now, seeing I have no writer's block and it is summer._

_A massive thank you to all those who reviewed this story, and this chapter is dedicated to you all._

_As usual, criticisms are much appreciated, but no flamers please._

_Zoe tabbycat_


	6. Chapter 6

Is it too late to call her back Ch.6

'Benjamin Knight! NYPD. Put the gun down,' Flack yelled, pointing his gun steadily at Ben's hands.

'He was also responsible,' Ben whispered. 'It's also his fault that Avery's gone.'

'I know that he was the one who told the court Avery was smuggling drugs. It was his testimony that put your sister into prison. But he wasn't the one who killed your sister,' Flack told him.

'She shouldn't even be in there. If she was not in there, if she was not allocated to that wing in the prison, if only…' Ben murmured.

'Hey, buddy. If there were so many "ifs", you can change the world. If you put the gun down now, we can help you,' Flack said, hoping that they would be able to help Lenny Simons.

'You can't help me,' Ben stated, and quick as a flash, he placed his gun on his temple and fired.

Flack could only watch. Everything seemed to happen in a second. The gun slipped out of his grasp as he fell towards the ground.

'Go,' Flack commanded, as paramedics flooded over to both Lenny and Ben. They pressed their fingers against their necks, hoping to find a pulse.

'This one still has a pulse,' the paramedic that was checking Lenny yelled, and Lenny was immediately placed onto a stretcher and taken to the ambulance that was already waiting downstairs.

Looking up from Ben, the paramedic looked at Flack in the eye and shook his head. 'He's gone,' the paramedic stated as they began to pack away their equipment.

Looking down at the body in front of him, Flack felt bad for him and his sisters. This was one part of being a cop that he hated. He hated having to arrest people who did illegal things for good reasons. He hoped that the judge would be lenient on Kaitlyn with her charge of being an accessory to attempted murder.

_*Is it too late to call her back?*_

Walking into the room, Mac smiled as he saw Stella sitting up in her bed, frowning at the paperwork that Danny and Lindsay had happily guilt her into doing.

'Having fun?' Mac asked teasingly.

'Oh yes, if you count being bored to death as "fun",' Stella answered, rolling her eyes. 'How's the case coming along?'

'Ben's dead; suicide. We managed to rescue Lenny though, but he's still in a coma. Kaitlyn's in custody,' Mac answered.

'So Kaitlyn's all alone now,' Stella murmured, reminded of her own childhood of how difficult it was being all alone. 'Is she going into the foster system?'

'No, we found that she still have an aunt in Florida, and she'll come down to get Kaitlyn when she is allowed to go,' Mac answered.

'What are they charging her with?' Stella asked, chewing her lip.

'Accessory to murder,' Mac told her heavily.

'That's going to destroy her future,' Stella whispered slowly, more to herself than Mac. All of a sudden, she whipped up a pen and dug around for a piece of paper. After finding what she needed, she started scribbling on it furiously.

'What are you doing?' Mac asked, half-amused, half- curious.

'Writing a letter,' Stella replied in a 'duh' manner.

'I can see that, but why?' Mac asked.

'A plea letter to the judge. I'm hoping that this would help to lower her sentence,' Stella answered.

'You are just too good for your own good,' Mac laughed.

'Oh yes, and don't you forget that.' Stella answered.

_*Is it too late to call her back?*_

'Since the defendant has confessed to the crime of assisting in attempted murder, I find the defendant, Kaitlyn Knight, guilty. However, due to the remorse that the defendant shows for her crimes, and the letter from the victim, we have decided that she would be given minimum sentence, with 150 hours of social service. Court adjourned,' the judge announced, hitting the gravel with his hammer.

Coming out of the courtroom, Kaitlyn saw Stella and Mac sitting there. She went up to them and gave them both a hug.

'Thank you so much for your help,' Kaitlyn told them gratefully.

'It's my pleasure. What do you plan on doing now?' Mac asked her.

'I'm going to go back to school, and get a diploma. I hope that I can show other people that I'm worth the chance that they gave me just now,' Kaitlyn told them, blushing slightly.

'That's a very good choice, Kaitlyn,' Stella praised. 'Good luck in future.'

'Goodbye,' Kaitlyn said, waving as she began to walk away, heading towards her aunt.

'Goodbye,' Stella and Mac echoed, lacing their hands together, as they began to walk away.

_*Epilogue*_

Looking at the stack of application letters in front of him, Mac sighed. He was really tired, and all he wanted to do is to get back to his son and his wife, but the lab was running low on manpower, and they needed a new employee, so he knew he had to get the job done first.

The door swung open, and in walked his wife. She sat down in front of him, and chuckled at his expression as he gave her a smile, and continued glaring at the stack of letters.

'Missing me and Jeff?' Stella grinned.

'Yes!' Mac exclaimed as Stella began to glance through the names of the applicants.

'Mac, check this out,' Stella told him as she handed a letter over to him. He looked at the name on the letter, and to his surprise, he saw the name Kaitlyn Knight written boldly on top.

'I'm glad that she managed to get back on her feet,' Stella confessed softly.

'Me too,' Mac answered, getting up and slipped his jacket back on. 'These can wait till tomorrow. Let's go home.'

Stella nodded and they both left the lab together, back to their home, and back to their son, Jeff.

_*The End*_

_A/N: Hurray. Another story completed. I hope you all like this story. This story is dedicated majorly to two of my best friends, Kaitlyn and Ben. Yes, you have guessed it. They have very kindly allowed me to use their names in this story, so of course this story is dedicated to them._

_The character Jeff, though, is dedicated to Bianca tabbycat, for giving me ideas. I love you, girl._

_To be honest, I have never lived in US, so I have no idea of their laws or anything, so I just made them up. I tried looking up on the internet, but I was unsuccessful, seeing as different web pages said different things, so I hope that you do not mind._

_As usual, please review. Criticisms are much appreciated, but no flamers please._

_A huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story._

_Zoe tabbycat._


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